Museum of Art and Culture Lake Macquarie
The Museum of Art and Culture Lake Macquarie, formerly known as Lake Macquarie City Art Gallery, was established in 1980. First housed in Lake Macquarie’s former council chambers on Main Road at Speers Point, the gallery relocated to First Street, Booragul in 1996.
The gallery originally occupied Awaba House on this site from 1996 to 2000 when a decision was made to construct the new state-of-the-art facility. At the time we visited there had been a fire and Awaba House had been extensively damaged. Launched in May 2001 the new art gallery building saw the addition of an art seminar room in 2008. In 2019, a further expansion provided additional gallery space.
How to Get There
Located at First Street, Booragul, the gallery overlooks Lake Macquarie, providing great views in a relaxing setting. A small car park next to the gallery is convenient, however, if this is full more is available on-street nearby.
Sculpture Park
Located on 5 hectares between the gallery and lakeshore, the Sculpture Park includes work by local and national artists. Launched in 1996, the sculpture park has continued to develop and currently comprises 16 sculptures by 11 artists.
We spent some time walking around the sculptures before entering the gallery.
Sculpture Outside the Main Gallery 
Sculpture Outside the Main Gallery 
Mosaic Outside the Main Gallery 
Entrance Walkway 
Fish Sculpture on the Entrance Walkway
Museum of Art and Culture Lake Macquarie Collection
Comprised of four focus areas, the Visual Arts Collection includes works by highly-regarded national, international and Hunter-based artists.
The collection has a core group of works by established contemporary Australian artists. This includes a number of works by Sir William Dobell, large-scale contemporary sculptures and Indigenous works.
We loved walking around the gallery, because it has great diversity for such a small venue. We found it had a lot to offer and enjoyed our time there. With works ranging from Sir William Dobell to contemporary artists, the collection is worth the visit.
Gallery at the Museum 
The First Gallery 
Deanne Newland – Rejuvenating 2 
Saretta Fielding – Malang Kateya Part 2 
Helen McLachlan – Rejuvenate 2020 
Susan Ryman – Whispering Pillars 
Karen Murray – Sentinel 
Bronze Sculpture 
Museum of Art and Culture Lake Macquarie 
Thelma Wawrzonek – Wangi Power Station Ruins 
Maureen Boyle – The Fisherman
Coffee Shop
Sculpture Cafe is a licensed venue and offers morning tea, lunch, and afternoon tea. Seating is both inside and on the deck overlooking the Sculpture Park and the lake. We enjoyed morning tea on the deck because of the wonderful views.
What Did We Think?
We enjoyed our visit because of the diverse range of art on display. The outdoor park was fun to walk around, while the quality works inside were amazing. To add to this was the wonderful location of the coffee shop with its great views.
